Metering dispenser for solid free flowing material



Feb. 10, 1953 w. B. PETERSON METERING DISPENSER FOR SOLID FREE FLOWING MATERIAL Filed April 2; 1952 IIEE INVENTOR. Adi/Nam 5. Pefer-son BY I 7b\/W/(d77tl/ Patented Feb. 10, 1953 OFFICE METERING DISPENSER FOR SOLID FREE FLOWING MATERIAL William B. Peterson, Los Altos, Calif.

Application April 2, 1952, Serial N 0. 279,981

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a material dispenser, and more particularly to an improved form of metering dispenser for the application to hay, grain, and the like, of preservative, or antioxidant, materials, which materials are solid and relatively free-flowing in nature.

Among the objects of the invention are the following: the provision of a material dispenser adapted to dispense in repetitive fashion in such manner as to prevent any packing or bridging of the material within the dispenser; to provide a hopper-type metering dispenser so designed as to have a considerably greater storage capacity than previously known dispensers and to operate without any tendency to bridge or pack or otherwise disturb the free-flowing characteristic of the material; and to provide a metering dispenser which is of relatively simple construction and which has at the same time a high degree of operating efficiency.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawing forming part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of the metering dispenser of the invention, showing the dispenser as an operative part of a hay baler system;

Figure 2 is a view in front elevation of the dispenser of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view in section taken along lines 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a detail view in lines 4-4 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a detail view in section taken along lines 5-5 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawing, the dispenser is comprised of a hopper l0 having a rectangular or box like upper portion l 2 and a lower portion I 4 characterized by a downwardly and inwardly inclined wall l6 and terminating in a metering conveyor housing i8 having an underside which is substantially semi-circular in cross section. The hopper is provided with a lid 26 which is removable for the purpose of charging the hopper gvith solid free-flowing hay preservative material section taken along Journalled for rotation in the side walls of the hopper and within the metering conveyor or foot housing l8 of the hopper is a shaft 24. A tube 26 having secured internally thereof mounting rings 28 is sleeved on shaft 24 and secured to the shaft for rotation therewith by set screws 30 extending through the tube and rings 28 into engagement with the shaft. Afiixed to the tube 26 centrally thereof and over a discharge opening 32 in the bottom of the hopper is a plurality of. equispaced and equi-sized metering fins SihaVinga length substantially in excess of the corresponding dimension of the discharge opening 32. .The

ends of these fins are substantially in wiping engagement with the inner wall of the substantially semi-circular form of the bottom of the foot housing It. The tube 26 is further provided with helically disposed conveyor elements 36 and 38. which elements may be formed of heavy gauge wire and secured to the tube by welding. The helical or spiral conveyor elements 36 and 33 have opposite directions of turn.

The hopper is provided with a discharge spout, or tube 40 having an elongate arcuate head flange 42 complementary to the underside of the foot housing 18. The spout is adjustably secured to the housing it by the wing bolts 44 extending through slots 46 in the head flange 42 and through bolt holes in the housing l8.

Figure 1 illustrates the metering dispenser in one of its environments of use. The dispenser is shown as being secured to a hay baler 48, as by mounting brackets '50, with the discharge spout t!) in communication with the interior of the baler through feed well 52. Baled hay 54 issuing from the baler 58 engages a star wheel 56 secured to shaft 58 journalled for support in frame members 60 to thereby cause rotation of the star wheel, shaft 58, and a sprocket 62 which is in driving engagement with a chain drive 64. The chain 64 passes over sprocket 6'6 secured to shaft 24. Movement of hay bales 54 thus imparts rotative movement to tube 26, and metered charges of the material 22 are delivered by the metering fins 34 through the discharge spout 40 and into the interior of the hay baler 48 where the dispensed preservative material is added to hay just prior to the baling thereof? The compression of the hay during the baling operation serves to effectively disseminate the preservative material through the hay bales.

As the tube 26 is rotated, the material 22 is fed inwardly toward the metering fins 34 from both sides thereof by the spiral. conveyor elements 36 and 38, and the material 22.which is fed into the conveyor pockets defined between adjacent fins 34 and the inner wall of the rounded underside of housing I8 is dispensed through the discharge opening 32 when the leading fin defining a given pocket subtends a portion of openingtz. The following 'factors all tend. to limit the material discharged to that amountrcarried within the fin pockets: the close relation of the outer ends of the fins 3-3 with the wall ,Jof housin l8, and the approximately corresponding relationship be tween the arcuate spacing" between the ends of adjacent fins and the transverse dimension of the discharge opening, thus limiting vertical communication between the material 22 andthe discharge opening 32 to thcgimmediate fin-defined dispensing pocket; the tit-substantial excess in length of the fins 34 overithe corresponding dimensionof the discharge opening 32, this being the other factor in the limitation of vertical or gravity feed of the material through the discharge opening 32 to the amount of material carried within a fin pocket; and the fact that normally free-flowing solid granular material, such as 22, has little or no tendency to how horizontally, as for example, between the underside of tube is and the bottom wall of housing is in the direction of the discharge opening 32. When rotation of the tube 25 is stopped, the spiral elements 3E and 38 provide a further restraining iiifiuence toward any tendency the material 22 might have to such horizontal flow. Thus, as soon as the tube 25 becomes stationary, there is an immediate cessation of all outflow of material from the dispenser.

By adjusting the sliding valve type of discharge spout to control the eiiective area of the discharge opening 32, the amount of material dispensed per part revolution of the tube 26 can be varied and controlled. Under normal operations of the dispenser with a hay baler, from 30 to 60 part revolutions, or number of fin-defined pockets passing the discharge opening, are imparted to the agitator-conveyor member per minute by movement of the hay bales through the press. Under such conditions, it will be clear that all of the material within a fin-defined pocket is not necessarily discharged through the opening 32, particularly when this opening is restricted in area by the positioning of the discharge spout.

The subject dispenser eliminates the usual bridging and packing problems encountered in the dispensing of solid free-flowing material. A

bridge, or bridging, usually results from uneven ieeding of the material to the discharge outlet, while packing is caused by a combination of factors, such as the granular size and density of the material, the amount of material which is disposed over the dispensing agitator, and jarring 1 or vibration that may be imparted to the dispenser by the action and movement of the equipment on which the dispenser is mounted. In order to avoid or reduce this packing problem, conventional dispensers have been limited as to size and capacity, thus requiring more frequent stops for refilling and increasing the probability of running the dispenser in an empty condition. In the subject dispenser, the combination of the spiral conveyor elements and the elongated metering fin elements effectively prevents bridgmg, while these same elements in combination with the sloped inclination of hopper wall l effectively prevent the packing of the material to a point where the feed of material from the dispenser may be interrupted. The subject dispenser may therefore utilize a hopper large enough to hold up to 120 pounds of preservative compound, or enough to treat about tons of hay or grain at the usual rate of treatment. In order to avoid the occurrence of packing, con-- ventional dispensers of which I am aware have been limited to an average capacity of about 25 to pounds of treatment compound.

What is claimed is:

l. A metering dispenser for the dispensing of solid and relatively free-flowing material comprising a hopper having vertically disposed side and rear walls and a front wall having a vertically disposed upper portion and an inwardly and downwardly sloped lower portion, said rear wall and the lower portion of said front wall terminating in a dependent and relatively small housing extending the width of said hopper, said housing being substantially U-shaped in transverse cross section, with the lower portion of the transverse cross section form being substantially semi-circular, a material discharge opening formed in the bottom of said housing, a rotatable member cylindrical in form supported in said, housing and extending longitudinally and centrally thereof, the axis of rotation of said member coinciding with the center of curvature of the semi-circular lower portion of said housing a plurality of equi-spaced and equi-sizecl radially extending and relatively elongated fins secured around the periphery of said rotatable member and located on said member above said discharge opening, said fins being imperforate and having a length greater than the corresponding dimension of said opening, said fins extending into substantially wiping relation with the semi-circular underside of said housing upon rotation of said member, there being a number of said fins in such wiping relation at one time, a spirally formed element secured to said member on each side of said fins, said elements being spiralled in opposite directions and being thereby adapted to feed material inwardly towar said fins upon rotation Of said member, drive means for rotating said member, a substantially vertically disposed discharge tube at the underside of said housing in communication with said discharge opening, and means securing said tube to said housing for sliding adjustment of said tube longitudinally of said housing to vary the effective material discharge area of said opening. In a material dispensing hopper having a material discharge opening in its lower end, the combination of a horizontally extending cylindrical rotatable member in the lower end of said hopper, means disposed externally of said hopper for rotating said member, a plurality of equispaced and equi-sized radially extending and relatively elongated fins secured around the periphery of said rotatable member and located on said member above said discharge opening, said fins being imperforate and having a length greater than that dimension of said opening measured in a direction parallel to said fins, oppositely spiralled helically shaped elements socured to said member outwardly of said iins adapted upon rotation of said member to feed material toward said fins, said hopper having its lower end formed to be substantially semi-circular in transverse cross section and said rotatable member being so disposed in said lower end that said fins extend substantially into wiping relation therewith, the spacing between the ends of adjacent fins corresponding approximately to the transverse dimension of said discharge opening, a discharge spout at the underside of the lower end of said housing in communication with said discharge opening, and means securing said spout to said hopper for sliding adjustment to vary the effective material discharge area of said opening.

WILLIAM B. PETERSON.

REFERENCES CETED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNKTED STATES PEiTENTS 

